Moscow Considers Joint Weapons Development with BRICS Countries

Russia, Brazil, and South Africa are working to hold “three-party negotiations” by the end of the year on jointly developing military weapons and equipment.

At that same time, “Russia may sign a contract with Brazil to supply Pantsyr-S1 … air defense missile and cannon systems to this country.”

According to the Russia and India Report, Anatoly Isaykin, general director of Rosoboronexport, said Russia is presently working with Brazil and South Africa individually, but is considering “collaborative projects involving several countries at once.”

Rosoboronexport is Russia’s only “government agency for the export and import of military products.”

Russia has not undertaken such defense projects with Brazil or South Africa in the past, although Brazil does import weapons from Russia. And National Defense magazine’s Igor Korotchenko believes one of the goals behind the current push for collaboration is to open new markets in which Russia can sell defense systems and military equipment.

Korochenko said, “The plan is to set up production of Russian weapons that will then be supplied to the markets of smaller states in the respective regions.”

According to Business Insider, South Africa already imports weaponry from the U.S. It imported $16,040,000 worth of such weaponry in 2013 alone. And Brazil imports weapons from both the U.S. and Russia. In 2013, it imported a combined total of $301,220,000 from both countries. In the same year, the U.S. exported “more than $26.9 billion in weaponry” overall, while Russia exported more than “$29.7 billion.”